Build the Ultimate Hawksmoor Meal
Hawksmoor started in a dodgy East London street in 2006, and has come to be one of the best-loved steakhouse brands in the world (including listing as #1 steak restaurant in the world). Over that time, we’ve created dishes and drinks that have entered the pantheon of Hawksmoor classics, the kind that have stood the test of time, sparked cult followings and made regulars out of first timers.
We’re often asked, ‘what’s your favorite Hawksmoor meal?’ … here’s the answer, starting with pre-dinner drinks and our favorite starters.
Pre-Dinner Tipple
We believe dinner should start with a drink in the bar (where excellent Lo/No Alc options are also available). Here are two all-time favorites:
Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew (2006 – Hawksmoor Spitalfields, London)
Keeper’s Heart Whiskey, Lemon juice, Ginger, English mild ale
It has a cult following back home in Blighty. Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew was conceived by its namesake, Pete Jeary in 2006. His ‘turbo shandy for the discerning drinker’ quickly became our biggest seller and has become a fixture at dozens of bars around the world.
World’s Coldest Martini (2021 – Hawksmoor New York)
The coldest Martini in Chicago? Served at a bracing 10°F and gently aged using high-frequency ultrasonic waves (yes, really). Plus, you can get it for just $13 during Happy Hour, every day 5-6pm.
Starters
Our dictionary-thick steaks are cooked on live fire over charcoal, and then rested, to get the perfect cuisson every time, which leaves the perfect amount of time for you to enjoy one of our classic starters:
Carolina-Spiced Pork Belly (2006, Hawksmoor Spitalfields, London)
Our pork belly comes in a 15-ingredient marinade – all fresh and really tasty, from apple ketchup to tamarind. The result? A sweet, sticky, and slightly spicy pork belly. As for our pork, it’s slow-roasted and then given a final char in a screaming-hot Josper oven for that lovely caramelization.
It’s served up with a piquant vinegar and fennel-seed coleslaw to cut through the richness and balance the dish.
Charcoal-Roasted Scallops (2012, Hawksmoor Air St, London)
Sustainably sourced, they arrive at the restaurant hours before being charcoal-grilled, covered in breadcrumbs, and doused in white port, garlic, and tarragon butter.
The Main Event
Continuing the theme of “what is your idea of the perfect Hawksmoor meal?” (pre-dinner drinks and appetizers [or “starters” if you’re feeling a bit more “London” today] can be found here), here is what you’ve all been waiting for—the entrées (“the mains”).
Steaks
When Hawksmoor began in London in 2006, we were almost puritanical about steak: the best possible steak, presented simply on a white plate (because when the steaks are this good, who needs frippery and pageantry?), and we only had three steaks on our menu: ribeye, for the fat; rump, for the aging; and sirloin (strip), for the gnawable bone. Eventually, however, we fell in love with fillet (filet), and we made sure it was accompanied onto the menu by bone marrow, which we would smear all over it (as filet is quite lean, the additional bone marrow helps amplify some of the flavors of the delicious beef in a filet).
Since then, our menu has evolved to what we now call the “Hawksmoor Eight” (and we’ve had to learn the language of the American butcher instead of his/her British counterpart!).
Our favorite cuts of beef each have their own character and cooking sweet spot. Find your steak and order like a pro when you drop by.
Tender? Filet
The laziest muscle = the most tender steak. Filet is our leanest, most delicately flavored steak – and it slices like a hot knife through butter. Delicious with our anchovy hollandaise.
Best served – medium rare
Flavorsome? Rump
A more hardworking muscle with lots of beefy flavor. This cut is taken from the cow’s rump (it’s all in the name!), so the muscle can be denser, creating a little more chew than other cuts.
Best served – medium rare
Juicy? Rib-eye
The inner “eye” of the rib muscles, this popular cut has a seam of fat through it that bastes the meat as it cooks, making it super juicy. Want something to share? Try the prime rib (a two-person rib-eye with the bone attached).
Best served – medium
Veggie Dish for Carnivores
One of our worst ever restaurant experiences was ordering the vegetarian dish in a steak restaurant. We’ve always wanted vegetarians to be as happy as carnivores at Hawksmoor. Reviews of the Bent River Wellington include: “No, no – it’s actually SO good!” and “You really don’t feel like you’re missing out.” For a steak and seafood restaurant, that feels like a big win.
Our Most Popular Sides
Beef-fat fries
Why do we cook our fries in beef tallow? Flavor, obviously. But they stay crispier for longer, so you get that lovely outer crunch vs. inner fluffiness. Why? The science is complex, but solid fats like tallow have a higher heat capacity, so they remove the water from the potato better and give it a super-crispy skin.
Macaroni cheese
There’s an English recipe book from the 14th century called The Forme of Cury with macaroni cheese in it. Apparently, though, a certain Maestro Martino from Lombardy, Italy should get the credit for the first macaroni-shaped pasta. Then there’s macaroni cheese’s US chapter (which we’ll save for another time). Safe to say, it remains such a key part of American life that many Italians think it was invented there. Macaroni cheese is the king of sides!
Sautéed spinach
What could be more virtuous than a side of spinach with garlic and lemon? Achingly fresh, outstandingly zingy, and the perfect accompaniment to a lean, protein-rich rump steak.
Ending on a (Sugar) High
Rounding out our three-part series, we’ve arrived at the grand finale: desserts.
If you missed the first two, you can catch up here and here. But now it’s time for the final (and arguably most indulgent) course.
Sticky Toffee Pudding (Hawksmoor Spitalfields, London, 2006)
You (and the rest of the world) can call them ‘desserts’ if you want, but to us they’ll always be ‘puddings’, and nothing will change our minds that we are unequivocally the best in the world at them. And yet, the undisputed mastermind behind everything sweet at Hawksmoor is Portuguese Princess of Pastry, Carla Henriques, who graced us with her presence in 2010 and, after a crash course in traditional English fare, became Hawksmoor’s Queen of Puddings. We have never looked back. She’s embraced our philosophy of endless tweaking, and this Sticky Toffee Pudding is her masterpiece, and our best-selling dessert the world over.
Peanut Butter Louis (Hawksmoor New York, 2021)
Original Beans Femme Virunga chocolate, peanut shortbread, salted caramel.
While we loved to indulge in schoolday classics, Carla has pushed us to challenge ourselves and do desserts on another level to any other steakhouse.
The Peanut Butter Louis is her take on the eponymous dessert at the ultra-luxe 3-Michelin-starred Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, begging the obvious question of whether any other steakhouse in the world is riffing on Alain Ducasse, one of the most famous chefs of all time. And perhaps why Alain didn’t think of adding peanut butter. [Shrug Emoji].
Salted Caramel Tributes (Hawksmoor Air Street, 2013)
Salted caramel chocolates inspired by a childhood treat that, thanks to a catchy ad campaign, became a token of love — “Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?”
Our ‘Salted Caramel Rolos’ were created after Carla worked with our great friend and master chocolatier, Paul A. Young – and British food critic, Jay Rayner, declared that “The mayor’s office should denote these a London landmark.”
A lawyer disagreed, and we switched the name to the less incriminating ‘Tributes’ when they are bought to take home — the perfect, ‘I’m sorry I went to Hawksmoor, and you didn’t’ gift for those you left behind.